Dupont Context

Mike Mansfield Papers, Series 32, Box 3, Folder 21, Mansfield Library, University of Montana.
Views From
Nothing concentrates a
nation's attention like stem
economic competition and
large trade deficits. And no
nation has caught America's
attention like japan has. In
the past decade, Americans­from
Congressmen to assem­bly
line workers-have
become aware of, and some­times
obsessed by, Japan.
DuPont Context asked
some U.S. leaders who have
observed and dealt with
Japan over the years to
comment on the major
issues influencing U.S.­Japan
relations.
Mike Mansfield
U.S. Ambassador to Japan
and former Senate
Majority Leader
"The Japanese must open
their markets further to give
the U.S. the same opportuni­ties
that we give them in our
country. This is in their own
self-interest because they
have been the chief benefi­ciaries
of the international
trading system. Frankly,
though, if the U.S. developed
a greater degree of under­standing
and more patience,
the frictions between us could
be diminished.111eJapanese
are trying much harder to un­derstand
us than we are to
understand them. We have
to recognize that Japan is a
sovereign nation, our best
partner, and a worthy nation
with which to work. We have
to look in the mirror, see the
motes in our eyes, and recog­nize
that our difficulties are
largely of our own making and
will largely be cured by us.
Other 'Japans' are emerg-ing
elsewhere in the world,
competition is going to be­come
keener, and we're going
to have to become more real­istic
and return to the old­time
religion. To paraphrase
Yogi Berra, if we're going to
compete, we gotta compete."
Ezra Vogel
Director of Harvard Universi­ty's
U.S.-Japan Program and
author of"Japan As Number
One: Lessons For America"
"Trade not only in indus­trial
goods but services will
continue to trouble the U.S.­Japan
relationship. What has
happened in recent years is
that the U.S. has applied pres­sure,
Japan has resisted as
much as possible, and the U.S.
has not been organized well
enough to deal with this resis­tance
on a quid pro quo basis.
One commonly overlooked
12
fact, however, is that the pro­fessionals
in our State De­partment
and the Japanese
Foreign Ministry work to­gether
quietly and effectively.
Japan is increasing its foreign
aid incrementally, and its
percentage of GNP devoted
to overseas development is
about the same as America's.
A possible private sector
trend which may not be as
encouraging is the agree­ments
many American and
Japanese companies strike
in d1e future. More American
manufacturing companies
may become sales and mar­keting
arms of)apanese
firms in the U.S. This may
relieve protectionist tensions
and help the bottom line of
some U.S. companies, but
I don't think it's good for the
United States."
Paul Wolfowitz
Assistant Secretary of
State for East Asian and
Pacific Affairs
"While trade attracts the
most attention, the overriding
concern for both countries
is how to fashion a global
pannership that recognizes
Japan's growing influence in
world events. Japan can play
an increasingly constructive
role in foreign assistance, in
managing Third World debt,
in maintaining a viable and
open worldwide trade and fi­nancial
structure, and in con­tributing
to its own defense
consistent with its constitu­tional
restraints. This agenda
illustrates how U.S.-Japan
interests have evolved from
bilateral and regional issues
to a global relationship. De­spite
the complexity of the
issues, me U.S.-Japan relation­ship
is in excellent shape.
There is no problem mat can­not
be resolved satisfactorily,
given our mutual commit­ment
to close and enduring
ties based on our many com­mon
interests."
Mike Mansfield Papers, Series 32, Box 3, Folder 21, Mansfield Library, University of Montana.

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Transcript

Mike Mansfield Papers, Series 32, Box 3, Folder 21, Mansfield Library, University of Montana.
Views From
Nothing concentrates a
nation's attention like stem
economic competition and
large trade deficits. And no
nation has caught America's
attention like japan has. In
the past decade, Americans­from
Congressmen to assem­bly
line workers-have
become aware of, and some­times
obsessed by, Japan.
DuPont Context asked
some U.S. leaders who have
observed and dealt with
Japan over the years to
comment on the major
issues influencing U.S.­Japan
relations.
Mike Mansfield
U.S. Ambassador to Japan
and former Senate
Majority Leader
"The Japanese must open
their markets further to give
the U.S. the same opportuni­ties
that we give them in our
country. This is in their own
self-interest because they
have been the chief benefi­ciaries
of the international
trading system. Frankly,
though, if the U.S. developed
a greater degree of under­standing
and more patience,
the frictions between us could
be diminished.111eJapanese
are trying much harder to un­derstand
us than we are to
understand them. We have
to recognize that Japan is a
sovereign nation, our best
partner, and a worthy nation
with which to work. We have
to look in the mirror, see the
motes in our eyes, and recog­nize
that our difficulties are
largely of our own making and
will largely be cured by us.
Other 'Japans' are emerg-ing
elsewhere in the world,
competition is going to be­come
keener, and we're going
to have to become more real­istic
and return to the old­time
religion. To paraphrase
Yogi Berra, if we're going to
compete, we gotta compete."
Ezra Vogel
Director of Harvard Universi­ty's
U.S.-Japan Program and
author of"Japan As Number
One: Lessons For America"
"Trade not only in indus­trial
goods but services will
continue to trouble the U.S.­Japan
relationship. What has
happened in recent years is
that the U.S. has applied pres­sure,
Japan has resisted as
much as possible, and the U.S.
has not been organized well
enough to deal with this resis­tance
on a quid pro quo basis.
One commonly overlooked
12
fact, however, is that the pro­fessionals
in our State De­partment
and the Japanese
Foreign Ministry work to­gether
quietly and effectively.
Japan is increasing its foreign
aid incrementally, and its
percentage of GNP devoted
to overseas development is
about the same as America's.
A possible private sector
trend which may not be as
encouraging is the agree­ments
many American and
Japanese companies strike
in d1e future. More American
manufacturing companies
may become sales and mar­keting
arms of)apanese
firms in the U.S. This may
relieve protectionist tensions
and help the bottom line of
some U.S. companies, but
I don't think it's good for the
United States."
Paul Wolfowitz
Assistant Secretary of
State for East Asian and
Pacific Affairs
"While trade attracts the
most attention, the overriding
concern for both countries
is how to fashion a global
pannership that recognizes
Japan's growing influence in
world events. Japan can play
an increasingly constructive
role in foreign assistance, in
managing Third World debt,
in maintaining a viable and
open worldwide trade and fi­nancial
structure, and in con­tributing
to its own defense
consistent with its constitu­tional
restraints. This agenda
illustrates how U.S.-Japan
interests have evolved from
bilateral and regional issues
to a global relationship. De­spite
the complexity of the
issues, me U.S.-Japan relation­ship
is in excellent shape.
There is no problem mat can­not
be resolved satisfactorily,
given our mutual commit­ment
to close and enduring
ties based on our many com­mon
interests."
Mike Mansfield Papers, Series 32, Box 3, Folder 21, Mansfield Library, University of Montana.